What is the correct counter height?

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We aren’t ergonomic experts but practical experience has demonstrated that working at a comfortable height is very important to how you feel.  Working at a counter that is too low (or too high) can be torture after just a few minutes – while the correct height can support a marathon cooking session!  AND just because a counter height is correct for one task doesn’t mean it is correct for all.

You may have the luxury of designing your kitchen and integrating counters of different heights – just right for you and your key activities.  But for those who need a quicker, less expensive solution we are crafting other options.

How do you determine what is the correct height?  One of the best ways may be to experiment.  If you feel your counter is too low place a cutting board on top of books until you reach a comfortable level for various activities.  If your counter is too high try working at a table and adjust the height there – to see if you can find a good fit.

One way to arrive at a counter height that you may find comfortable is to use this method:

Wearing the shoes you usually cook in, stand at your tallest comfortable posture with your heels, posterior and back against a wall.  Put your arms to your side and have your shoulders at a natural and comfortable position. Have someone verify you are standing with good posture and have them mark the point where your elbow folds and measure that from the floor.  This is your working elbow height. Subtract 4 inches for an appropriate counter height

It is surprising that even fairly short people may find standard 36” counters (which were developed with folks about 5’5” in mind) too low. Marcia Baugh, AWP’s owner, is only 5’6” but finds about a 37” working surface most comfortable.

And for taller folks the standard counters can be, literally, a real pain. AWP has often done custom projects for taller people – from tables to cutting boards – but started thinking more seriously about the type of products that would be flexible to build but support a wide range of heights when contacted by Steve, who wanted a present for his 6’6” friend, Colleen. With input from Steve and Colleen we developed the two styles with legs shown on our Customize Your Countertop Page.

For those who find standard counters too high (or too high for certain tasks, such as kneading bread) we can offer kitchen carts or islands built to custom heights.